17 DECEMBER 1948, Page 17

British Canaries

An unheard of number of canaries were exhibited recently at a cagei bird show in London, and their singing was described as so loud that( you could not hear yourself speak. Now the canary was the only foreign bird which Gilbert White wished to see naturalised in England, and Mr i Locldey tried the experiment on Skokholtn Island and has made a child's, story of it all. But the book lacks a decisive conclusion. We still do not' know whether the canary is quite hardy in our clime. The conclusion of The Cinnamon Bird (Staples. 8s. 6d.) is that "one December night sev,. canaries, three greenfinches and two chaffinches" were removed from the Island to the mainland.